We're going to get our first look at real Hyperloop pod designs in January

Elon Musk’s SpaceX released more details about its Hyperloop pod
competition on Thursday.

The company laid out parameters for designing the capsule and gave
a basic breakdown of how the entrants will be judged.

Basically, teams entering the competition will have a lot of
freedom to create a unique pod design, but they do have some
restrictions.

For example, the pod cannot weigh more than 11,000 pounds and
should be less than 14 feet in length, less than 4.5 feet in the
maximum width and smaller than 3.75 feet in height.

SpaceX is planning to build a test track adjacent to its
headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif. so that selected entrants can
test their pod. However, final measurements of its test tube will
be revealed in September.

The first stage of the competition will be a Design Weekend
hosted January 15 and 16 at Texas A&M University where
entrants will show off their initial designs. Selected entrants
will have the opportunity to win sponsorships from companies to
build their pod in real life to compete in the final competition
in June 2016.

SpaceX engineers, Tesla Motors engineers, and university
professors will be the judges during the competition weekend.
Prize details for the winners of the competition have not yet
been released in detail, but the updated guidelines states that
there will be some cash prizes.

The company announced earlier this month that it had already
received more than 1,200 applicants for the competition.